Bascomb, Neal. The Winter Fortress. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2016. Print.
In a staggered line, the nine saboteurs cut across the mountain slope.Instinct, more than the dim light of the moon, guided the young men....Dressed in white camouflage suits over their British Army uniforms, the men looked like phantoms haunting the woods.
Description:
Raise your hands if you have ever heard of "heavy water." Here's a hint: it is vital to the production of atomic bombs and therefore the key ingredient in Neal Bascomb's account of the real-life World War II undercover operation in The Winter Fortress.
Heavy water is ultra-distilled water that is painstakingly refined down a few drops with unique qualities. In the late 1930s, no one at the Vemork, Norway heavy water plant the really knew what to do with the interesting product they produced except to let scientists take small samples to experiment with and possibly find a use. But in 1940 when Nazi Germany requests from Vemork not a few drops of heavy water but two tons of the stuff, many workers at the facility suspect the Germans have found a military use for this liquid.
Turns out heavy water is a key component in the stabilization and detonation of the experimental atomic bomb being worked on the in United State and now, apparently, in Germany. When Germany overruns Norway and takes over the Vemork plant, and then vastly increases heavy water production, their intentions are confirmed. If the Germans are using it for an atomic weapon, they must be stopped or at least slowed until the American/British team in New Mexico can achieve their own bomb.
The plant must be destroyed by Allies. But a bombing raid would destroy many people in the nearby town. And the distillation tanks are heavily protected deep inside the mountain fortress/plant in an area unlikely to be damaged by bombs.
The plant destruction therefore requires an undercover job to be secretly carried out by the Norwegian local resistance with training by British Special Operations. Discovery of their mission would mean severe repercussions to the local families who help them, so the planning, training, and eventual mission are limited to a handful of Norwegians. Families are not even told of the work these ordinary husbands and fathers are undertaking.
The tension is unbelievable as, step by step, this team of Norwegian locals acquires vital information smuggled out of the plant, undergoes commando training in England, and makes detailed plans to take on this inaccessible fortress ... and hopefully get out alive. Then they wait for good weather, week after week, knowing the success or failure of the team would turn the tide of the War by determining which side would create the bomb first.
Absolutely riveting reading about a mission I knew nothing about, yet one that changed the balance of power. I also learned about the dedication of each and every person in Norway to do whatever they could to thwart the hated Germans occupying their country. A truly gripping, uplifting, tension-filled account of people taking it upon themselves to do whatever it takes to frustrate and defeat their enemy.
Heavy water is ultra-distilled water that is painstakingly refined down a few drops with unique qualities. In the late 1930s, no one at the Vemork, Norway heavy water plant the really knew what to do with the interesting product they produced except to let scientists take small samples to experiment with and possibly find a use. But in 1940 when Nazi Germany requests from Vemork not a few drops of heavy water but two tons of the stuff, many workers at the facility suspect the Germans have found a military use for this liquid.
Turns out heavy water is a key component in the stabilization and detonation of the experimental atomic bomb being worked on the in United State and now, apparently, in Germany. When Germany overruns Norway and takes over the Vemork plant, and then vastly increases heavy water production, their intentions are confirmed. If the Germans are using it for an atomic weapon, they must be stopped or at least slowed until the American/British team in New Mexico can achieve their own bomb.
The plant must be destroyed by Allies. But a bombing raid would destroy many people in the nearby town. And the distillation tanks are heavily protected deep inside the mountain fortress/plant in an area unlikely to be damaged by bombs.
The plant destruction therefore requires an undercover job to be secretly carried out by the Norwegian local resistance with training by British Special Operations. Discovery of their mission would mean severe repercussions to the local families who help them, so the planning, training, and eventual mission are limited to a handful of Norwegians. Families are not even told of the work these ordinary husbands and fathers are undertaking.
The tension is unbelievable as, step by step, this team of Norwegian locals acquires vital information smuggled out of the plant, undergoes commando training in England, and makes detailed plans to take on this inaccessible fortress ... and hopefully get out alive. Then they wait for good weather, week after week, knowing the success or failure of the team would turn the tide of the War by determining which side would create the bomb first.
Absolutely riveting reading about a mission I knew nothing about, yet one that changed the balance of power. I also learned about the dedication of each and every person in Norway to do whatever they could to thwart the hated Germans occupying their country. A truly gripping, uplifting, tension-filled account of people taking it upon themselves to do whatever it takes to frustrate and defeat their enemy.
Happy reading.
Fred
Fred
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
MacLean, Alistair. The Guns of Navarone
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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
MacLean, Alistair. The Guns of Navarone
Fictional account of a team of saboteurs on a mission to destroy an important German gun installation. Thrilling, nerve-wracking, taut, and unexpected, this novel is one of my favorites by a man who can really write thriller action plots.
